The sites on the 1964 Freedom Summer Trail and audio tour were chosen to commemorate and honor those who participated in the Civil Rights Movement in Hattiesburg in the 1960s.
Freedom Summer was the 1964 voter registration drive that took place all over the state of Mississippi, with Hattiesburg serving as the largest Freedom Summer area in the state. It helped awaken the consciousness of the nation as Americans watched what happened on nightly news programs and read reports in the daily papers.